Firebug
by top
Summary: Shikamaru is dispatched to catch an arsonist. It's a C-ranked mission with B-ranked pay. It should be easy, but soon becomes troublesome.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and gain nothing by writing this.

* * *

Kadouzeki was the largest town on the Kourigawa River which was the largest river on the continent. It snaked its way through several countries in a lazy fashion and only just barely went into the Fire country before curving back out. That little detail provided one substantial benefit to the country.

In the past there had been three small waterfalls in the area which had prevented ships from traveling freely up and down the river. To solve this problem locks had been constructed to allow ships to traverse the length of the river for a small fee. That alone would have made Kadouzeki a substantial settlement but, because of the town's location it had also become a significant manufacturing base.

The town which was usually a hub of activity was as quiet as any town in the hours before dawn. That was until a bell rang out from the top of a watch tower. These towers were manned by sharp eyed individuals who kept a constant vigil for fires. The single ringing bell set a series of events into motion. Dozens of people were woken from a sound sleep and rushed to put out the fire.

This time it was in the market district and it was quickly extinguished with practiced ease. They had been so efficient that the building may not even be a complete loss and as they trudged home they ran into something that was not part of their routine. Blockades had been thrown up on the streets and the firefighters cursed as they had to prove who they were. Many muttered darkly what they would do to the arsonist when he was caught.

* * *

Shikamaru leaned against the boat's railing soaking in the early morning light and trying to indulge in his old hobby of cloud watching. Unfortunately, nature was choosing not to cooperate providing him with only one wispy cloud. He was regretting his decision to travel by water instead of land.

The twenty-two-year-old had skipped dinner to catch the last ferry for the day. At the time he thought he would catch something on board but had quickly abandoned that idea and retreated to his cabin. Apparently being promoted to Jonin did not bring with it an automatic immunity to motion sickness.

A man joined him on the railing and inhaled a deep breath. "I swear you can smell Kadouzeki, it smells like Ryo. Am I right or what?"

The Jonin didn't notice a change in smell and had no interest in the conversation but, this man seemed familiar with his destination. "I've never had a reason to go there before."

"Oh it's a special place. I came here twenty years ago and within five years I owned my own business and was moving to the capital," the man boasted proud of his achievement. "Hardest five years of my life but, it was worth it," he gestured to his clothes which probably cost what Shikamaru made in two months.

He also noticed the distinct smell of alcohol on the man's breath which explained his gregarious nature. Sipping at his ginger tea he winced at the strong taste of lemon that had been added to it. "So, what brings you back here?"

"I'm into all sorts of things but, business in this area's a little down. My entertainment ventures in the city are just barely making a profit. Considering this is Kadouzeki there's no excuse," he slammed his hand on the railing for emphasis. "I think it's time for a little shake up." The man waved his hand dismissively, "Listen to me go on, never mind that, why are you going there, to make your fortune?"

Given the nature of his mission Shikamaru knew he could discuss it but, it was against his nature. Instead he turned revealing the Hitai-ate he still kept around his arm. The man seemed to sober at the sight of it. "Business," he kept his tone conversational.

"Right, I um-mum need to go check on some things," the man dismissed himself almost tripping over his own feet in his haste. Shikamaru smiled. Interacting with civilians was always interesting. Most of the time interactions between a ninja and a civilian were uneventful but, there were always some people that assumed they were targets for assassination. Sometimes those people did have their reasons but, most of the time their fears were groundless.

Minutes past and the small boat moved from the center of the river to the side and began to slow down. Over the loudspeaker the captain announced that they would be docking in five minutes. Shikamaru frowned into the distance. He could barely make out the city and the river ran right through it so, why were they stopping now? His question was answered even before he could finish it as a small cement dock seemed to emerge from the tree line. Within moments the ship had docked and with a loud clanging sound the ramp was connected on the far side of the ship.

Wanting to avoid the rush Shikamaru stayed where he was for a minute. That was until he heard a ruckus that couldn't be explained just by disembarking passengers. Curious about the noise he left his post at the railing and cutting through the small restaurant emerged on the other side of the boat.

At the bottom of the ramp was a crowd of maybe twenty people, all of them were accosting the passengers as they stepped off of the ramp. From the shouts he could understand they were offering everything from palanquin rides to maps of Kadouzeki. Shikamaru had no interest in running that gauntlet and chose to jump ship while nobody was looking.

Leaping over the railing was simple enough for him and the ten foot fall was nothing. Although his unorthodox departure from the ship went unnoticed by the crowd it did draw the attention of another man. Before Shikamaru had straightened the man had darted out from underneath a small pavilion. He was dressed in what passed for a traditional policeman's uniform. Loose jacket along with loose fitting pants for ease of movement and of course the two swords.

The man himself appeared to be middle-aged with a salt-and-pepper colored beard. However, it was his eyes that drew his attention. They were sharp as a predators and Shikamaru was confident that every concealed weapon on him had been noticed. He prepared himself for a lecture over proper disembarking procedures. Police and ninjas had an antagonistic relationship as members of his profession could be as much of a force for good as evil in their community. It was understandable but, was generally troublesome.

The man came to an abrupt halt just out of arm's reach and bowed, "Nara Shikamaru I presume."

"Yes," he answered hesitantly.

"I am Officer Yui. I have been asked to escort you to the briefing with the governor as soon as you arrive. Please follow me sir."

An escort, Shikamaru was impressed. Of all the missions he had ever been on this was a first. "Lead the way."

The samurai escorted him to the road which was overhung by trees. Diffuse light shone through the branches creating little puddles of light like rain after a storm. It would've been a pleasant walk if Officer Yui didn't insist on talking.

Not interested in small talk Shikamaru directed the conversation towards his mission. "So, this firebug is responsible for four fires, right?"

His companion was silent for a second before saying, "five. They struck again last night. Nobody has been hurt thankfully, but it's starting to put the citizens on edge. Some of the older folks are remembering the Great Fire."

"Great Fire?"

"It was before my time. If you want a firsthand account just ask anyone in the city over sixty or nowadays you could just stand next to one of them for a few minutes and they'll tell you all about it," his escort said dismissively.

That explains a lot thought Shikamaru. This mission was C-rank at best but, so much Ryo had been offer for its completion, it had bumped it up to B-ranked. Then he replayed the conversation and realized something. "You said 'they' do you believe there's more than one?"

"We know nothing about him. Arsonists act alone," the man's answer was sharp and killed any further conversation.

The Jonin gave a mental sigh as he saw a glimpse of what he'd be working with. He had a feeling he wouldn't be receiving much cooperation from the police. A few minutes later just before they were about to pass under the gates that led into the city the officer spoke to him again. "Watch your wallet there are a lot of pickpockets."

Yes Shikamaru thought to himself, this was indeed going to be a troublesome mission.

* * *

The governor apparently chose to work from his home or at least Shikamaru thought this was a private residence. There was a lot of security, but it was more of the mercenary type. They were competent though. Both his escort and he had to show identification to get past the gate and while they had been escorted inside guards were rarely out of sight. It was putting him on edge as it all seemed excessive.

Officer Yui seemed familiar enough with the layout of the house as he led him to an empty room with a small raised dais at one end. They sat in front of it wordlessly and Shikamaru passed the time by examining his surroundings. The most notable feature was the view. The house was built on a small hill which gave it an unobstructive view of the town and river.

It was not a view he would've paid for but, as it was the highest point in the city the land could not have been cheap. The artwork on the wall was a little more to his liking. It consisted of traditional scenes of nature and one of the birds a sparrow to be precise looked so real that it was easy to imagine that it would fly out of the open window any second.

After a few minutes of waiting a panel slid aside and an older man walked out. He paused and announced, "Governor Odawara." The man then placed a question on the platform before he retreated. The next man to enter was much younger and Shikamaru would've been surprised if the man was more than thirty years old. To be a governor at his age meant he was either very competent or knew how to play the political game.

Yui kowtowed before the man and Shikamaru merely nodded politely. Although it was not strictly enforced as a ninja of Konohagakure he was only required to show such respect to either the feudal lord of the Fire country or the Hokage. However, as a practical matter it was generally understood that high ranking clients deserved the courtesy but, he had made a snap judgment. This man was very conscious of his position and if he showed too much subservience now it may cause problems later.

The man stared down at him for a moment and realizing he was not going to get any additional signs of respect began speaking. "I have hired your village to assist me in capturing the arsonist who has now set five fires including one from last night. This individual is spreading terror through the city and must be stopped before they can strike again. Are you capable of that?"

Weary of agreeing to anything that would give the man an opening to renegotiate the contract later he simply replied with a noncommittal, "I will do my best."

The governor nodded acknowledging that Shikamaru had sidestepped that particular verbal trap. "This arsonist has now struck five targets and a pattern has emerged. Every time he has struck he has attacked one of my business holdings."

If the Jonin had been of a different temperament he would've snorted or at least rolled his eyes as the nature of his target had changed. It did not take five such attacks to determine such a clear pattern. This was why clients were generally interviewed. It was a precaution which had been learned overtime for the simple reason that civilians tended to leave out facts they thought were not important but, later turn out to be essential. It was rare but, on occasions clients did lie. Naruto could attest to that and now so could he.

It was clear why this client had lied though. If it was only his businesses that were being attacked the government would have asked him to pick up at least part of the bill for a ninja. "How many business holdings do you have?"

"Twenty-one within the city," the man responded with a touch of pride, "that doesn't include the sites the construction company are working on right now."

Well, at least he wasn't an idiot Shikamaru thought. The cheap bastard as he had decided to name him in his head recognized that just by having a connection to him made the construction sites at risk. "I'll need a map marked with the sites of the fires and the locations of your businesses including the construction sites."

The governor simply glanced at Officer Yui who wordlessly produced a folded map from underneath his sleeve and presented it to him. Apparently the hostility the other man had for him was not to be shown in front of the governor. Taking the map but, not unfolding it he asked, "Is there anyone that has a grudge against you?"

Without any hesitation he said, "The Mano," he said the name as if it was something vile. "They're the other large merchant family. They've hit a rough patch lately and are on the decline. In fact this house used to be theirs."

The obvious glee the man took in informing Shikamaru of that fact was not missed and coming from a government official it was a little disturbing. "Thank you. I shall get to work immediately."

He was about to stand to leave when the governor threw a small block of wood at his feet. Picking it up after a second he examined it. The wood was heavy oak and had an ornate crest carving on it. "That gives you the status of an officer. It's temporary of course. Still, it will allow you to pass through any checkpoints no matter the hour and everyone including the mighty Mano will have to answer your questions. Officer Yui will assist you in any way you request." With that he stood and left ending the meeting.

Shikamaru turned to look at his unexpected partner who seemed as surprised as he was. Mentally sighing he realized how complicated this mission had just become. It had started out as a simple mission to catch a firebug and now it had evolved into something more. Before leaving Konoha he had read up on arsonists but, now all that information was useless. This wasn't some random kid setting fires for kicks. They had a grudge and while that might make this easier in some ways it also made it harder in others.


	2. Chapter 2

"I guess were partners," Officer Yui's tone added for now.

"Yes," Shikamaru thought for a minute planning his words carefully. "Listen my mission specifies that I merely have to assist in capturing this individual. As far as I'm concerned the police can take the bulk of the credit. So, let's get to work." The man nodded and he hoped that signified the beginning of a truce.

Unfolding the map he had been given earlier he placed it between them. The map had a high level of detail, having not only streets but individual buildings. From this bird's eye view it appeared that the city was almost divided into two by the river. They were numerous green dots, three yellow and five red. That key was easy enough to figure out. "Where was the first fire and tell me about it."

The older man leaned forward and pointed to a red dot in the far right corner. "The first fire took place about a month ago. It was a small machine shop and it was almost a complete loss. Given the nature of the place arson wasn't officially suspected at first, but after the second fire we looked over the evidence again."

"How was the fire set," Shikamaru questioned.

"As far as we can tell, they've all been set the same way. A glass bottle filled with a flammable liquid thrown against a wall or a floor. All the fires have been set between the hours of eleven and four in the morning. In the case of the first fire I think a door was forced opened and the bottle thrown against an interior wall."

"You think?"

For the first time since they had met Officer Yui smiled if only weakly. "I suspected arson at first, but I was overruled. By the time of the second fire remnants of the building had been torn down and reconstruction had already started."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in question. "That's fast isn't it?"

"Things move fast here," Yui said dismissively. "The second fire took place here," this time he pointed towards a red dot on the opposite side of the river, "three days later."

The Jonin tried to remember how long it took for a building to be rebuilt in Konoha, but he had never paid attention to that. "Was this the third fire," he pointed to another red dot almost on top of the second.

"No. Both of those were small shops, but the third fire took place here along the river. Well, actually it was in the river. Space is at a premium here. Somebody had the idea of docking ships permanently along the banks of the river. There they are used for offices, restaurants and just about everything else you can imagine. In this case it was a restaurant and it was burned down to the haul."

The ninja glanced out the window at the river and noticed a lack of any docked boats. He thought about asking, but since the information hadn't been offered he declined at the moment. "How many days between the second and third fires," Shikamaru asked.

"Eleven days. Then another eight days before the fourth fire and three more brings us to the one last night."

For a moment his eyes flicked from red dot to red dot trying to determine a pattern. There were three on the West bank and two on the East. They didn't seem to be a pattern outside of all the spots being connected to one man, but to be truly random was almost impossible. If this person wasn't just starting fires for their own enjoyment there had to be a reason to their strategy. It just meant that he didn't have enough information right now.

"I would like to see where the last fire was."

"You don't want to speak to the Mano," Yui questioned suspiciously.

"Eventually, but since you have already interviewed them and they're still free I'll need to find some new evidence," Shikamaru finished folding up the map.

The police officer eyed him suspiciously, "I thought a ninja could tell if somebody was lying?"

He tried not to grimace at the question. It was not the first time he had been asked a question like that. There was a certain mystique about ninjas it was partially cultivated and partially by accident. "Some can, I cannot." Ino and her father certainly could rip anything from someone's mind if they had to and Ibiki could make just about anyone crack. Now that he thought about it Neji had a similar ability.

* * *

The streets of the town were crowded. The only comparison the young man could draw was a town during a festival. Although as far as he could tell there was none in progress. This was apparently normal. He was pretty sure that his guide was going deliberately fast but, years of dodging deadly flying projectiles made it easy for him to keep up with his dodging and weaving through the crowd.

When the crowds had been thinner he had noticed a strange feature of the village. Unlike Konoha where wood was used sparingly, it seemed to be the primary building material here. However, in an unusual nod to fire prevention there was space between the buildings. No one building touched another although some of the gaps were so small that a child would barely be able to pass through them but, they were there. With space being limited this had to be a lasting effect from the Great Fire.

Eventually they did reach their destination, or at least Shikamaru assumed it was their destination as it was the only burned-out building he had seen so far. It was a fairly small building with two flags fluttering outside carrying what had to be the crest of Governor's Odawara family. The front window was broken and the door was gone.

"Come on," The officer grabbed his arm and pulled him inside ignoring the warning signs.

The inside of the building was covered in soot, but even as he glanced around he could tell the damage was not as extensive as it looked. Both the floor and ceiling appeared stable and only an interior wall on the far side of the room seemed damaged. The drywall had burned away revealing the ribs of the wall. It appeared to have been a clothes shop and what had not been burned in the fire had been removed. The smell inside wasn't like a cooking fire, but something else more unpleasant. Still, he couldn't help but take a deep breath after the claustrophobia of the street.

Walking over to where the fire seemed to have caused the most damage he heard glass crunching under his feet. Pausing for a second he examined the ground wondering if the glass was broken by the firefighters or the arsonist. After a moment of examining the ground he spotted it. There was a small rock on the floor darkened by soot. Bending over he picked it up. The rock was jagged and could easily fit in his hand. It wasn't particularly heavy, but it was close to the window.

"Did you find something," the older man called from the doorway sounding surprised.

Shikamaru turned and tossed the rock into the air before catching it with the same hand. "They threw this rock through the window before they set the fire."

Officer Yui had stayed in the doorway and as he was backlit by the sun his expression was unreadable, "Is that important?"

The ninja looked towards where most of the damage had been done and explained. "When something is thrown through a window it is deflected. That means they were aiming for a spot." He stood where the damage seemed the worst and let his eyes roam. "There were clothes hung here. They were used for fuel."

"Is that important?"

"Yes," the Jonin said wishing he had Kiba or better his partner Akamaru. "I'm guessing the Manos' are rich enough to hire a ninja to do these attacks if they were so inclined. However, because of the nature of the attack and the lack of total destruction it's not a professional job, but it's not completely an act of anger either. They're thinking."

Shikamaru heard Yui approach, but didn't turn around as he probed the rubble with a kunai. "That proves nothing. They could be trying to cover their tracks or maybe they're just hiring a local thug to do it for them. The Manos' merchant family is behind this."

Belatedly the young ninja had the idea that he was here not so much to catch the arsonist as to put the blame on a person. That idea rankled and it made him wonder about the governor. Could he be behind this? How deep did the hatred run between these two families?

He kept that idea to himself as he uncovered a small piece of glass. It was darkened by soot like everything else in the room, but after another few seconds of digging he found another shard and from the two tried to imagine the size of the original. Judging by the curve of the glass it couldn't have been any bigger than an average beer bottle.

At some point Shikamaru had decided to treat this investigation like he would treat an opponent on the battlefield. Figure out their strategy and then outmaneuver them. Unfortunately, unlike a straight up battle where goals were clear he still wasn't sure what their objective was. If they wanted to destroy the Governors personal foundation of wealth, than they were going about it in a strange fashion. Using such a small bottle was just cheap.

Maybe that was the point though. If the man who had hired him was trying to set up a rival he wouldn't hit his high-value facilities and would just want to damage the rest. Then another thought occurred to him. What if this was just really simple extortion. If the local Yakuza was trying to extort some protection fees and the governor wasn't paying then starting a few fires would be a good way to get their point across. "Has the governor been particularly rough on the local criminal families?"

"There is no organized crime in Kadouzeki," the officer emphasized every word as he spoke it.

The young ninja would sooner believe that Naruto had given up ramen than that. In his experience it was almost impossible to stamp out the Yakuza for any length of time. Where there were a lot of people there would be crime. It looks like he finally had something to ask Mano about. Well, among other things. "I think I need to talk to your main suspects now."

* * *

Shikamaru used the walk to the current residence of the Mano family to plan his strategy of attack. Well it really wasn't an attack and verbal sparring was not his particular strong suit, but planning was always a good thing. He needed to walk the fine line between investigating them and milking them for information. This was definitely not going to be easy.

Officer Yui remained silent the entire time which was fine with Shikamaru. Whether he was personally wedded to the idea of his employer's main rival being behind this or the orders were coming down from on high it was clouding his judgment. The ninja wasn't sure if he could keep the agreement he had made to the man earlier.

With little warning his companion turned and pounded on a wooden gate, "police open up." They were in a residential area that looked to be well-off, but definitely a step down from where the governor lived.

After a moment there was a loud creak as the gate swung inwards to reveal a small elderly woman. The diminutive woman reminded Shikamaru of his own grandmother, she even smiled like her. "Officer Yui isn't it? Who would you like to see today, the lady of the house or somebody else?" Her tone was polite, but so laced with sarcasm it was impossible to miss.

"We need to speak to the head of the Mano family," Yui spoke in a clipped tone, ignoring the insolence.

There are times in battle were one has to commit to a course of action before one is fully prepared to do so. Despite what some believe, he could not see the outcome of every possible move. Sometimes though being conservative and waiting will lose you the day. As his companion stepped forward he spoke up for the first time. "Actually I would like to interview them alone, if that's all right."

Yui had not been expecting that, for a second his expression flickered from confusion to anger and settled on annoyed. "That will make it difficult to tell if they've changed their story since the last time I've interrogated them." He was trying to sound polite probably because the elderly woman was there.

Shikamaru would give the man that point, but he didn't want him taking over the interview and he suspected that the man would not be happy with all of his questions. "We can share notes later."

If looks could kill he'd be dead. Fortunately, Officer Yui didn't want to lose face in front of the old woman and bowed out as gracefully as he could with a, "as you wish."

At that moment the ninja from Konoha knew he had made an enemy. However, given how strange this situation was turning out he was becoming nervous. It wasn't just pride in having one of the highest rates of successful missions, but the pride he took in his work. Besides, if his suspicions were true and the governor was asking him to set up the Mano he wouldn't be a part of that.

"And who are you, sir." The woman asked addressing him.

That caught him off guard, but he wasn't a genius for nothing, "I have been specially deputized to investigate the current string of arsons," he produced the small carving that Governor Odawara had given him earlier.

The older woman examined the small piece of wood with the intensity of someone expecting a counterfeit. It seemed to pass her inspection and she shifted her weight to allow him to pass, "come in sir," she trailed off.

"Shikamaru," he supplied. Stepping through the gate he could feel the glare on his back and when the gate was shut he knew he had made an enemy.

* * *

The Jonin had been led to the back of the house where there was a small garden where he had been asked to wait. More out of habit than thought Shikamaru instinctively stepped into the shadow of the only large tree in the garden. He wasn't expecting to be attacked, but old habits die hard in ninjas that don't die young.

A few minutes later a shoji screen slid open to reveal an old woman. If the maid had been grandmotherly, than this one was more like his mother would be in a few years. Her features were sharp and her eyes gave him the distinctive impression he was in trouble. She took a step down onto a rock that was used for a step and her cane made a loud thud.

"So, you're the new investigator," she said approaching him. "I'll answer all your questions, but I'm telling you right now, I or my family has nothing to do with it."

"You're the head of the family?" He knew he shouldn't be surprised, but this was not the type of person he had been expecting.

"Going on thirty years since the death of my husband," she said stopping with one last crack against the ground with her cane.

"Well," Shikamaru began trying to cover up his surprise, "could you tell me about this feud between you and the governor?" She raised an eyebrow in surprise, but then Shikamaru realize that probably very little slipped past this woman.

"You make too much of it," she started twirling her cane in one hand. "It goes back to the founding of Kadouzeki. Our families were business rivals. They both tried to sell provisions to the passing boats. Several generations later the feud still goes on."

"You make it seem like a family rivalry." From what he had seen of the governor he hated this woman and her family and it seemed strange that the animosity wasn't reciprocated.

"Well that's how it was, my family expanding beyond Kadouzeki, more so than his."

"He owns your house now," Shikamaru interrupted before she could trail off.

Surprisingly she smiled, "yes he does. Of course I made him pay three times what it was worth. The man's a fool. Always had been and always will be. Don't get me wrong he knows how to play the political game which is how he received his position, but business is infinitely more complicated."

"So, you have no hatred toward him whatsoever?"

"I didn't say that," she smacked her cane against a stone. "Fools don't need help falling. He may think he has everything under control, but he's obsessed with running us out of town and he has no idea how many enemies he's making."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled, "my son was born three months after the current governor. He attended the same school in the same class. Even considering this comes from a mother my son was better than he was. I'm not proud of it, but they became part of the rivalry between our families. I don't think he ever got over it," she said the last part with a bit of a sneer.

"That explains why he doesn't like you, but you said he was making enemies?"

"Like I said he wants to run us out of town. So, in any industries we are involved in he is raising taxes and in industries he's not involved in he is doing that and passing draconian measures."

"Can you give an example?"

"Hell yes. I'd be hard-pressed not to," for the first time her irritation showed. "It used to be that a boat would have to pay a fee to travel through the locks. Now he charges fees for a boat to just enter the city limits. That just doesn't affect our business, but every ship that has to unload cargo. On both ends of the town there are areas for that. Lots of boats would just dock unload raw materials and then load finished goods and turn right back around. Now they're stuck paying a fee. Not content to screw with that, he passed nearly twenty pages of new guidelines for ferries. It became so expensive it was cheaper to build a dock outside of the province and dock there."

So that explains why the dock was so far away from the city. "Are you the only one who uses that dock?"

She shook her head, "a couple of the smaller boats unload cargo there and hire people to carry it into the city. Mostly the family-owned stuff I doubt they're happy about it. It cuts into profitability and I know a few of them have given it up."

Shikamaru thought about that for a second. The families pushed to the brink or over could be responsible, but the fee for just entering the city limits also opened up other problems. If it was costing more just to unload cargo, that would echo down the chain of manufacturing and caused numerous problems so that could even add more suspects. With that many suspects the only chance of catching the firebug was either in the act or just after it. Of course he would have to check all this out.

"Has he done anything else to upset others?"

"Yeah, after his restaurant fire he ordered all the permanently docked boats out of the city. He said if another caught fire it could become a navigational hazard. That's bullshit. First everyone with three brain cells to rub together knew the arsonist was targeting his interests. The only reason he did it was because I was using one of them as a headquarters."

That struck him as very petty and he wondered if it was true. "Have you ever hired a ninja?"

The woman looked at him as if he had just asked her if the sky was blue. "Of course, I've hired them for travel for myself and for my children when we have to go through certain areas and for our cargo too. And of course I have chipped in for bandit cleaning missions."

Shikamaru almost groaned at the thought of those missions. They were fairly common and tended to be annoying. "Who do you hire?"

"Leaf, Waterfall and Grass mostly, but probably a few others but those are the normal ones."

The idea that it still might be a ninja was in the back of his mind. However, he was pretty sure his home village wouldn't accept such a mission, just because of the danger it represented to the Fire country and they certainly wouldn't have dispatched him then. However, the other two nearby villages she had named seemed equally unlikely. After all if it was ever found out the backlash would most likely be harsh. Still, there were other villages.

"Can you think of anyone else that has a beef with the governor?"

She eyed him suspiciously, "how closely are you working with the police."

He shrugged, "technically I'm independent. Officer Yui was assigned to aid me by the governor. However, I do want to stop this person."

She was silent for a second and said, "I can't tell if you're lying or telling the truth." She started to twirl her cane again which he was beginning to suspect was a nervous gesture of hers. "I was ten during the Great Fire. I remembered seeing the entire east bank was in flames. Then it started to jump the river. If it hadn't been for a freak rainstorm, there would've only been ashes left. Like everyone from back then fire scares me. That's the simplest reason for why I'm not behind this. Since it started I've been having nightmares about it."

There was a long moment of silence and though he regretted it he asked, "And your children?"

"Not possible. It's not public knowledge, but I should mention we've already decided to abandon Kadouzeki for a while. As long as he's in power we won't be able to work in peace."

"That easily," Shikamaru raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

She smiles, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going where the going is easier. All three of my children are already invested in other areas of the country and continent. I'm just wrapping things up here. Besides the way this governors behaving, he will wreck this town and when he is thrown out we will be back stronger than ever."

There was a part of Shikamaru, that liked this woman and he tried not to let that color his judgment, but something tells him she would have been a good ninja. "Can you think of anyone else who would actively hate the governor? Enough to burn his buildings?"

"He has pissed a lot of people off, but I think most will just complain to the daimyo." She paused for a second and he waited knowing something was coming. "Well, there is something," he waited not wanting to prompt her. "Shortly after the governor took over from the previous one, we stop paying protection money to the various yakuza families. No large arrest or anything, they just stopped coming by to collect. For us it was always just easier to pay then to deal with them, but I don't know what happened."

Shikamaru nodded and as he turned to walk away he said, "I might be back."

This little meeting had been very enlightening, but unfortunately his list of suspects has only grown. The yakuza situation was worth looking into, but how was he going to look into them if the police claimed there was no organized crime. This is so troublesome.


	3. Chapter 3

The mismatch pair of a ninja and samurai spent the rest of the day walking around Kadouzeki. After Shikamaru had summarized his interview with the head of the Mano family his companion's mood had changed, although it was hard to tell whether this was good or bad. The officer had firmly stated that there was no organized crime in the city and had not been for years. The man's stubborn refusal made it clear that he was truly on his own.

Unfortunately, he couldn't just leave his _assistant._ Instead they spent the day examining the other sites owned by the governor. It was a hodgepodge of various enterprises from manufacturing to an apartment building. The tour seemed to have paid off though. Shikamaru had noticed something when he had been staring at three large warehouses owned by the governor.

The three buildings had been adjacent to the river and surrounded by a wall on three sides. Boats could pull up right outside and either load or unload their cargo. It wasn't the setup that caught his eye, but the three large painted crests on either end of the buildings. He knew they were the governors from the burned-out shop he had visited earlier. However, now that he had seen a few of his properties he had noticed that not all sported his crest.

The properties he owned that were rented out to others were absent his family crest as were the construction sites. Curious he turned to Officer Yui as they walked along the riverfront and asked, "Do you know if the buildings that have been burned sported the governor's crest?"

Yui glanced over at him suspiciously, "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I've noticed that not all of his buildings have his family's crest on them. If only buildings with his crest on them have been attacked, then it's likely we can limit the amount of targets that are left."

"Well, I don't know offhand and I'm not even sure if I could find something like that out."

Shikamaru nodded and they continued on in silence. From this point of view he noticed the store signs that were still up from the boats even if they were gone. The officer gestured toward one, "That's where the restaurant was."

Shikamaru paused and looked around. There was maybe fifteen feet of space between the dock and the nearest building. There was also a fire tower fairly close by. "Was the fire tower manned the night of the fire?"

"Yes, but it was raining so badly they didn't see anything."

"Mind if I talk to the guy?" He nodded towards the closest tower.

The officer shrugged, "It may not be the same guy who was on duty that night."

"That's alright," Shikamaru called over his shoulder as he made his way towards the tower. That was only part of the reason he wanted to talk to this individual.

Reaching the bottom of the tower he paused before calling out, "Hey, you up there."

There was a second of silence before a gray head popped over the side, "What you want?"

The Jonin held up the carved block of wood, "I have some questions for you."

The man shouted back, "Can't leave my tower."

"I'll come to you then," the Jonin said starting to climb the ladder not waiting for an invitation. Reaching the top he discovered that the little enclosed platform was too small for two people to occupy. For safety he channeled chakra to his hands to stick to the ladder.

He glanced up at the elderly man who was staring over the railing at the village. Beyond describing him as old, he was hard to place. His skin was like leather and covered in liver spots. Still, he moved easily shifting from one direction to another without a hint of age, "You had questions?"

"Yeah, were you on duty the day that restaurant boat burned down?"

The man nodded not looking at him, "Not my fault. It was pissing down. Couldn't even see that roof over there," he pointed to the closest building. "When it stopped it was on fire."

"And you were up here the entire time?"

"That's right. I've only left my post once in my career and that was because it was hit by lightning. Threw me off it did."

The Jonin tried not to smile. Being hit by lightning might explain some of the man's odd behavior. "So, as soon as you saw the fire you raised the alarm?"

The man nodded vigorously, "That's my job. I always spot the fires. Sometimes I spot them in other districts, lucky like that."

"Well that's good." Shikamaru paused wondering how good of a witness this man was. Well he didn't have much to lose, "Do you remember the boat that caught on fire and what it looked like?"

The man stopped and actually met his eyes for the first time which Shikamaru actually found to be a little uncomfortable. "Yeah, it was big," he prolonged the word to emphasize it, "lots of people going in and out all the time. Used to-"

"Was the governor's crest on it," he cut the man off wary of him going off on a tangent. The elderly man stared at him blankly and he suddenly realized that this man didn't know what the governor's crest looked like. He explained, "Was there a carving or a large tapestry on the outside of the boat?"

The man's eyes lit up, "Yes, yes big carving on the front, very nice."

"Thank you," the young Jonin was about to start his descent when another question popped into his head. "Hey, you're a lucky man right?" He waited for the man to nod, "Do you gamble?"

The man stumbled backwards and would've fallen if it was not for the railing. "No sir, never," he exclaimed,

"Alright, I was just asking," Shikamaru held up a hand in an attempt to calm him down. The older man's reaction had been extreme and unexpected. He backed down the ladder more than a little happy to leave the old man behind.

Skipping the last few rungs he hopped off and almost collided with Yui who was hovering at the bottom, "Anything," the man demanded.

Pausing for a second the ninja answered, "The restaurant had a crest on it, which makes three out of five."

"It has to be a false lead. A simple look at local records will show who owns what property and those records are open to the public."

"Why would anyone lay down such a pattern then," he questioned.

The man waved a hand dismissively, "If we thought we knew where they were going to strike next, we would concentrate our patrols in that area. Then they would just change their pattern."

Shikamaru thought about that for a second. It was not uncommon in a fight to hold back and allow your opponent to underestimate you. Of course in a fight, the opponent that was being underestimated only did so to set up the other for one final blow. He didn't see that transferring over to a situation like this. Still, he kept his mouth shut.

* * *

Shortly thereafter they parted ways. Yui claimed he had paperwork and Shikamaru needed to have dinner. He also intended to find some illegal enterprise to patron, not that he added that last part though. However, first things first, he had to find food.

On the riverfront he found a small barbecue place much like the one he had frequented with his team back in his Genin days. With his back to a wall he divided his attention between the information he had gathered and not burning the meat. Even though Chouji wasn't here he could almost feel him hovering over the grill.

Taking a small piece of beef he thought to himself, twenty eight days, five fires, that's ambitious. If the Mano were behind it, what would they gain? Revenge obviously, but they would lose so much if it was ever linked back to them. However, revenge is powerful, he could think of several examples from his own life to support that. Still then why not just hire an assassin to take the governor out. His village certainly wouldn't take such an assignment, as the governor was part of the government of the Fire country and appointed by the daimyo himself, but other villages would.

If revenge was the motive, he would bet on someone who had either been put out of business by the governor's actions or maybe the Yakuza. Either of those would make more sense to him. They would either be too poor to hire an assassin or would not want the attention. He finished his meal with only one serving instead of the customary six with his old team.

Calling for the bill he had a sudden flash of inspiration. The waitress was in her mid-thirties and before she handed him the bill he asked loud enough to be heard by others, "Are there any gambling dens nearby?"

She seemed startled by the question and took a second to recover, "I'm sorry sir, but gambling is illegal in Kadouzeki."

"Thank you," he smiled politely, "I was unaware of that." That would explain the old man's reaction he thought as he paid and stood.

The restaurant was mostly filled and he took his time leaving. His slow pace paid off as the man stuck his foot out in front of him. The action was more to stop him then to actually trip him up. He tried to look more annoyed than startled.

"Hey, there friend you're interested in some harmless gambling?"

Shikamaru allowed his gaze to wander over the three men, who didn't look like gangsters, "Yeah, but it seems I'm out of luck."

The three men exchanged amused glances. Their leader turned back to him, "There's a small place up the street called The Lucky Teahouse. There's a flight of stairs go up them and give the guy on the landing a five hundred Ryo coin. The place is not particularly big, but there's a little something for everyone."

Shikamaru smirked happy to have something break his way for a change, "Thanks friend."

Leaving the restaurant he reentered the crowded streets of Kadouzeki before realizing up the street was not exactly a clear direction. Presuming he meant the way the river flowed, he turned right. After a few minutes he started to suspect he was being followed. At first it was just a nagging suspicion and he turned abruptly at the next street. He wasn't sure yet as several people made the same turn, but one of the individuals seem to be looking at him.

They had covered this at the Academy and there were several options for shaking a tail or capturing it if need be. However, what had been stressed above all else was to make absolutely sure that the person following you was actually following you. Hitai-ate drew people's attention like they were supposed to and even if someone followed you through one turn, it could just mean they were going home. So, he pulled a few tricks to determine if the man was tailing him.

After making another turn and passing through a narrow street he came to two conclusions. One he was being followed and two, they weren't that good. For a brief second he had a wild hope that it was the firebug, but his logical mind quickly dismissed that idea. It was far more likely that he was an associate of Yui. He sighed and started planning to get rid of him.

The man seemed to stay about twenty feet behind him, but when he was in the restaurant he must've been lingering outside. If he went into another store and ducked out the back that might work, but if it didn't they might drop their facade and just latched himself onto him. Well, it looked like he would have to dust off some of his old Academy jutsu.

With a little difficulty he found a part of the village that was less crowded. The next time he rounded a corner his hands flashed through a series of hand signs. The first one was to create the most basic clone which just kept on walking. Immediately thereafter he went into another series of hand signs and this time simply transformed into a small mouse that immediately scurried for cover between two buildings.

In his new form he was able to watch as his stalker walked by. The man's eyes were fixated on his clone. Upon closer inspection, Shikamaru notice that the man's clothes looked old, but were actually new. They looked like someone had handed them off a rack and that confirmed that he was another officer.

When the man was out of sight Shikamaru released the transformation. The clone should keep him occupied for a few minutes if it didn't accidentally walk through something. Of course when he discovered what had happened he wasn't going to be happy. Were the police this concerned that he would steal their glory? Or was something else going on here. It must've been planned before hand, since the only time Officer Yui had been alone was during his meeting. This was starting to become annoying.

Pushing that mystery aside for now he headed back to the riverfront to look for that tea house. He had to walk nearly the entire length before he saw the sign above the door of a two-story building. He was about to step in when he remembered his appearance, in particular his Hitai-ate and the weapons he carried openly.

Hesitating for a second, he stepped between two buildings out of sight of the foot traffic. A moment later he reemerged a changed person. His hair was shorter and not as dark. More importantly though his clothes were worn and there was definitely not a sign of a weapon on him.

When he entered the teahouse he was not noticed by anyone. The room contained a handful of tables which had few patrons sitting at them. However, the majority of the first floor was screened off to form private rooms one of which seemed to be in use. What he really wanted was the stairs and they were tucked into a corner. Making his way to the stairs he fumbled in his pocket for the appropriate coin.

There was a man on the landing just as it was described to him. Shikamaru gave the very large and intimidating man the coin. The silent sentinel hardly acknowledged his presence and he continued up the stairs. Opening the door at the top his ears were bombarded with all the noise that was expected of such a place. The most persistent sound was that of slot machines followed by the shouting of people winning and losing.

His eyes roamed, searching the room for the right game. He dismissed the slot machines out of hand and the several poker games for the simple reason that they wouldn't draw the attention he wanted. The blackjack tables were a possibility, but given the nature of the place he was pretty sure the games wouldn't be straight up. Then he saw it, tucked into the back of the room was a Fan-Tan table.

Shikamaru wasn't much of a gambler, but that didn't mean he wasn't familiar with many games and the thing that made Fan-Tan stick out in his mind was, it was almost impossible for the house to cheat at it. That little fact most likely explained why there was only one table here.

The game was simple. It involved only a square marked into quarters numbered one through four and a bunch of a like objects, glancing at the table Shikamaru saw they were using polished white stones. The banker who was employed by the house placed the bowl over the pile of white stones and then slid it away from the pile. Everyone would then place their bets on the square. The bowl was then removed and the stones were removed by four. When done if there was only one left, the people that had been on one would win three times the amount they had risked minus five percent.

The transformed Jonin watched several rounds not so much interested in the outcome, but counting how many stones were used. One of the players turned to him and said, "You going to play or are you going to gawk?"

He smiled and the next time the bowl was removed he quickly grouped the remaining stones by four subtracted that number from the original and then divided the remainder by four. He put a single ten thousand Ryo on three and when all was said and done had tripled his money. This repeated five more times and all of the money was starting to become substantial. Other players started to notice and soon they were waiting for him to place his bet before they followed suit.

The banker removed the stones from the table and placed another two handfuls, but by this time the young ninja was able to quickly group them into groups of four and his winning streak continued. After several more wins a man said softly behind him, "You're very lucky, maybe you should try another game with higher stakes."

It took an extreme effort on Shikamaru's part not to grin as part one of his plan came to a successful conclusion. "No, everyone says if you're on a streak you shouldn't quit."

Another round went by before the man stepped forward, "Fujita it's time for you to take a break."

The banker nodded and stored the stones away in a matter of seconds to a general groan from the crowd. The tight group of people started to disperse and as Shikamaru reached to claim his money the man said in a low tone, "You've had a good run, go home while you're ahead."

For a Yakuza, this guy seemed pretty decent and it almost pained the ninja to go on with his plan, "Nah. I think I'll wait for Fujita to come back from his break," he smiled.

That set the man off and his hands swatted at Shikamaru's sending the numerous bills into the air. "The casino is closed. Everybody out."Almost in complete synchronization the dealer stopped and a second later the power was cut to the slot machines. It took nearly three minutes for the crowd to empty the floor and during that time Shikamaru tried to pretend like he didn't know how much trouble he was in.

However, when the man that had been guarding the stairs and the bartender had joined the first man he tried to look panic which only got him shoved against the table. "I tried to be nice. I tried to be civilized and let you walk away even though I knew you were cheating, but you just wouldn't take the hint. Now I have to make an example of you."

Clasping his hands together Shikamaru looked as if he was about to beg, but instead brought his hands into the Rat hand sign. Without warning his shadow shot out in three directions capturing each one of the men paralyzing them. He dropped his transformation to reveal his true form. "Now," he said with a smile, "I have some questions for you."

The bartender and guard tried to break free, but the presumed leader just spat out, "Ninja."

If Shikamaru had to list his talents, interrogation would be pretty far down the list. Ino could probably have obtained the information he needed in a far less confrontational manner, but this was a solo mission. "If you tell me what I need to know we can all walk away from this, but if you don't," he allowed the Shadow Neck Bind Technique start to climb up the man's body and the ghostly touch was far more intimidating than anything he could have said.

"So, let's start with some basic questions so I can tell when you're lying." The ninja from Konoha was bluffing of course, but he was banking on the fact that they didn't know that. "Are you standing?" The man pursed his lips at first and Shikamaru added allowing the shadow hand to creep upwards, "I can work on the other two after you."

"Yes," the man hissed.

"Are we in a gambling den?"

"Yes."

That pretty much exhausted Shikamaru supply of questions he knew the answers to, hopefully it would be enough. "What's the name of your criminal organization?"

"The Kagryou"

"River dragons, not the most original," the young ninja smirked. "Why did you stop asking for protection money?" This question really wasn't relevant to his real mission, but it was bothering him and was best to keep them guessing about his objective for now.

"It was part of the deal," the man attempted to move, but he still had more than enough chakra to hold these three thugs in their place.

"Deal?" Shikamaru waited for half a second before allowing his shadow to creep upwards towards the neck again.

"The agreement between the Governor and the Kagryou family," he said in a rush. "We agreed to tone down some of our activities like extortion and loan sharking. In return they turned a blind eye to our other operations and aided us in running the other families out of the village.

That was surprising. Well, the idea itself wasn't bad. Criminals worked on similar principles as all businesses. Only they could use violence. Appointing one family to oversee the entire black market could result in less violence overall and it probably helped him with the merchants for a time at least. "What happened to the other families?"

"We drove them out. It was impossible for them to do business here between us and the police so they moved on to another village."

Well that added another possible motivation. Kadouzeki was large and any family that could control even a small portion of it would most likely reap huge rewards. Unfortunately as long as the deal stood between the Governor and this family, it would be hard to move back in. "Who is behind the fires?"

The man's eyes widened with fear, "I don't know."

That had touched a nerve Shikamaru thought. Still, if the goal was to destroy the alliance it didn't seem the most effective way. Not to mention that most gangsters didn't light up the IQ charts. However, if it was true he still would run into the problem of why only buildings with his crest on them were being attacked. As tempting as the theory was it didn't ring true to him.

Damm it if the Governor had an understanding with the local criminals, then it was unlikely that they would do anything against him. And it seemed improbable that a group that had been kicked out could operate within the city for so long without anyone noticing. This had been a waste of time. No, that wasn't right. While he had not completely eliminated the Yakuza as suspects, they seemed extremely unlikely.

"Alright then," he took several steps away putting distance between him and the three men before releasing the man he had been interrogating. "Pick up the Ryo and then put it on the table and I'll be leaving."

* * *

With his mood darken and his pocket full of Ryo Shikamaru walked the streets. The sun was setting and Kadouzeki was changing. People were streaming home and for the first time he also noticed the homeless. There weren't hordes of them, but he hadn't noticed them during the day. He wondered if some had jobs that simply didn't pay enough or if the police made sure they kept moving.

If he had grown up in a village like this he probably would've easily overlooked them, but he had grown up in a village where there simply weren't homeless. That wasn't because Konoha was superior in some way or had great social programs. It was just they were security risks. A spy or an enemy agent could easily disguise himself as one.

Finding an inn that didn't look like it would be overpriced he went in and registered for a room. In the lobby there was a small newsstand with a local paper that had a picture of the burned-out building on its front page. Curious he bought the evening edition of the paper and went to his room.

Unfortunately, the news story didn't have anything new in it for him. Slightly annoyed he checked the bottom of the page for the weather and froze. The newspaper didn't only have the forecast for today and tomorrow, but it also carried the phases of the moon and staring him right in the face was a circle with only a small sliver of white.

His mind flashed through what he knew about the moon's phases. It took about twenty-nine days for the moon to fully cycle through its phases. Right now, it was growing and the fire yesterday and the one before that took place either on or near the new moon which was when there was the least amount of light. The first two fires fell in the exact same timeslot. As for the fire in between those days, it had taken place on a rainy night where not even the men manning the fire towers could see.

His opinion of the firebug had suddenly changed. They weren't only thinking how to set the fires, but they were aware of their surroundings and he couldn't see any Yakuza thug doing something like that. It also showed patience, an eerie amount of patience. Suddenly the idea of it being a ninja wasn't so far-fetched to him and for a moment he thought about calling for reinforcements before stopping himself. He needed more information before he could justify that move.

With nothing else to do that night he went through every story in the paper and was mostly disappointed. However, in the editorial section there was a sentence that caught his eye. The woman who wrote the column was critical of the Governor. She was arguing against some new regulation he had just past and listed a list of complaints that included an execution two months ago. Right then Shikamaru knew he would be doing a lot of reading tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open with a knock at his door. A knock could mean so many things in his world. All the way from a visit from a friend, to one memorable mission proved an enemy intent on skewering him. However, the most likely case in this scenario was the maid thinking he had already left and was trying to clean the room. Rolling off the bed still fully dressed from last night and having slept on top of the covers he was more or less ready for anything.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"This is Officer Yui, its eight thirty, do you intend to sleep the day away."

A small grimace crossed the ninja's lips. He had stayed up late thinking after he finished reading the paper and had not been in a rush to get up. A second after that he thought how the man had known where he was sleeping. Had there been two tails? Maybe the first one had been a mere diversion. No, in order to trail him after he had lost the first one they would have needed a team and that seemed unlikely. More likely the innkeeper had informed them that a ninja was spending the night in town. Such an action would seem far more likely than the alternative.

Opening the door he tried not to seem surprised at the now familiar face. Holding up the paper he said, "We need to go to these offices today."

"The Kadouzeki Times," the man looked up at him his expression confused.

Shikamaru folded the paper over to the weather section and pointed at the representation of the moon. "The two sets of fires that happened within days of each other took place when there was the least amount of light provided by the moon. The fire that happened in between those took place on a rainy night, when visibility was severely reduced. They're using their environment."

"And you think this can help us find who is behind it."

The ninja had been prepared for his pronouncement that it was the Mano and it was useless to look in any other direction. This time his words seem to be opened to the possibility. The fact that he used the word "we" did not go past his notice either. "Yes, I'm hoping I'll be able to find something in the newspaper that might point to someone. Preferably someone not too wealthy, but might feel like they have been slighted."

The samurai held out his hand for the newspaper and started to flip through it as he asked, "How would your crest observation work into this?"

Scratching the back of his head the young Jonin said honestly, "I'm not sure. There are several possibilities from, they may just want to hurt the Governor and not the people he's renting to or your theory from yesterday." Shikamaru had added the last part as more of a peace offering, then to give any real credence for the theory.

The samurai nodded, "All right. The offices are not far from here."

"You know where they are," the ninja was impressed by the man's apparent knowledge of the village.

A small smile crossed the older man's face as he pointed to a small line at the bottom of the paper that said, "Address all editorial responses and subscription requests to." Shikamaru remember reading the address, but hadn't thought to use it.

The two men left the inn right after he paid for another night not wanting to go through the trouble of renting the room again. Besides it hardly made a dent in the money he had made last night. There walk was silent and the ninja used the time to ponder Officer Yui's new behavior. He seemed to fluctuate between being reluctantly helpful to antagonistic. It was suspicious, but what it pointed to, he didn't know.

The Kadouzeki Times was based in a large building and from the sounds coming from the open windows it wasn't just the offices but also contained the printers. Stepping into the building a receptionist greeted them and Shikamaru allowed Yui to do the talking as his uniform made things easier. They were told to wait for a minute and the woman returned with an older woman whose nose stuck out like a beck bird of prey. Her eyes were behind thick glasses and they seemed to bulge out of her skull.

"You wish to see the archives," she demanded and even though she was significantly older and shorter than him he found himself straightening as he nodded. "Fine, follow me." Unconsciously both of the men fell in behind her much like schoolchildren.

The three of them descended the stairway and the woman called over her shoulder, "What exactly are you looking for?

"We would like to look at the last three months of your paper if that's possible."

"Of course," she answered reaching the bottom of the stairs and gesturing to a table. "Sit, I will bring it to you." When the woman returned she was carrying three large books easily the size of an open newspaper. They were each an inch thick and bound in leather. Dropping the books on the table was a loud thud she looked over at them, "These are the two months previous. We have not completely compiled this month's volume yet. So, you'll be receiving loose papers in a minute try not to mess them up."

"Yes ma'am," Shikamaru said almost feeling an urge to salute her.

"If you need anything asked the receptionist, she will get me. Do not attempt to put anything back. Do not attempt to get anything for yourself, you will only mess it up in the end." She stared down her nose at them until she felt like her point had been made and then she said almost pleasantly, "I hope you find what you're looking for."

When the woman left, Yui spoke up, "That woman reminds me a lot of my mother-in-law."

"Really, she reminds me a little of my mother."

The two men looked at each other and they almost smiled until the samurai gestured towards the table. "Can I help you in anyway?"

The ninja thought for a minute not wanting to alienate the man, but not sure how he could use him. "Sorry, I'm not sure what I'm looking for." He opened the first volume and added, "I just hope I know it when I see it."

Shikamaru had learned to speed read simply because, he didn't like to read. The assignments at the Academy had bored him and while he would've been happy to skip them his mother made sure he did them. His father had come to his rescue and taught him how to speed read. It was a useful skill, but this would be the first time he was actually using the skill on a mission.

He scanned each page, dismissing most of the articles out of hand. There was a lot of junk in this newspaper and he skipped articles that seem to hold no promise for him. It took him nearly two hours to get through the first volume and when he closed the leather covering his vision was slightly blurry. Rubbing his eyes until they focused he glanced over at Officer Yui who was quietly reading one of the newspapers that had been brought down sometime during his fugue like state.

"Anything," the officer asked folding the paper and putting it on his lap.

"Not really," Shikamaru answered burying his head in his hands.

"You're really not a plant."

That comment caused the ninja to glance over at the man curiously, "What do you mean?"

"No offense, but ninja do what they're paid to do. I thought you were either here to frame the Mano family or look into the police department."

He raised an eyebrow at that not knowing what to ask about first, "You always thought they were innocent?"

"At first they were suspects, but their merchants and they always have a cost-benefit analysis going behind all their actions. For what little they would gain, it would cost them so much if they were caught. Of course the governor has been putting a lot of pressure on us to name them. We thought you were coming to frame them."

"We," he raised an eyebrow in question.

The older man shifted uncomfortable, "The current governor is a little more hands-on in the day-to-day running of things than the previous ones. He doesn't have any problem using his position to pursue his grudge against the Mano family. If you were planning on planting some evidence we would've raided their house and try to limit the damage."

"So, that's why you had me followed?"

The man shifted nervously, "Yeah, but when you roughed up those Yakuza I decided you were legitimate."

"How'd you know about that? I lost the person that was tailing me."

A small smile crossed the man's face, "They complained about it to us."

Shikamaru shook his head thinking how screwed up the situation was and opened the next book. The first week of articles again provided nothing interesting and it wasn't until the middle of the second week that he found something that caught his eye. Apparently a guard had been killed at the warehouses that the governor owned. A suspect was caught and apparently quickly confessed. There was no mention of the incident for the next three days and when it was mentioned again it was a notification of a public execution.

He frowned as he read that, normally with a confession there wasn't a death penalty, except for when it came to treason, "The man who killed the guard at the warehouses, why was he executed?"

"You got to that did you," the older man sighed. "Calling him a man is a bit of a stretch though. If he was a day over nineteen I would be surprised. Since he confessed he should've received twenty years of hard labor, but the governor wanted an example and he was the first person that had committed a capital offense since he took power." The man sighed, "Bad luck on his part."

"Was the governor there?"

"At the execution? Yeah, he has to be."

"Was his family crest there," Shikamaru asked glancing over at him.

"Yep," Yui paused for a second and then quickly added, "No, it is not possible."

The ninja raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Listen I didn't arrest him and in fact I only saw him a few times in the cell, but this kid was skin and bones. If he did belong to a gang, they wouldn't be the type that avenges their members if they are executed."

The young Jonin turned back to his reading curious if he would find more. There wasn't much except for an article on the execution itself a few days later and a handful of editorials complaining about it. After a few days though there was nothing more and the articles went back to being nothing of note.

Finishing the volume he did a mental calculation in his head and found that the execution took place about when the moon was half full. If somebody did want revenge for that person, they would've had a good two weeks to do reconnaissance of the targets. Of course, why would anyone bother? Sure, on occasion he had heard of gangs going after members that had betrayed them or even left them, but going after a governor, it would only bring more attention to them.

Shaking his head he started reading the third and last volume. The first fire was only granted one mention, but it was on the front page at the bottom. The next one received a little more attention, but it wasn't until they reached the third that it seemed to dawn on people that something was happening. The restaurant had been well-known and by that time no one could deny that they were dealing with a firebug.

Shikamaru finished reading about thirty minutes later and still the only article that had stuck out in his mind was the execution story. However, he had to admit that Officer Yui was right. Why would anyone go through all that trouble and of course the answer was the same for just about every other suspect he had on this mission, revenge.

"The man that was executed, you said he killed a guard at the warehouse right, how?"

Yui shrugged, "Bashed him in the back of the head," he turned pointing to where the skull met the spine. "The guy was probably dead before he hit the ground," the man added.

Closing his eyes Shikamaru tried to imagine how one could inflict such an injury. A person would have to strike from behind. But why would a thief strike a guard unless they knew they were there and if they knew you were there you wouldn't be behind them, "There were two thieves that broke into those warehouses. The guard saw one of them and the other thief hit the guard in the back of the head."

"Okay but…"

"It explains everything," he said interrupting. "The two were probably close, either related by blood or love, something like that. There partner saw the execution and the governor and his crest. That would explain why they're only attacking those targets since they probably wouldn't know they could check public records for more information like a business owner would."

The two men stared at each other for a minute before the officer spoke up, "We could guard the remaining buildings and catch them when they try to strike again."

"I don't think so. They're very observant if you post your men all around you'll scare them off and they might choose to try to wait you out. Now unless you intend to keep you're force tied down indefinitely."

"We can arrange disguises so they don't look like their officers."

Shikamaru shook his head, "If that guy you had follow me last night is a typical example, they could still notice you."

The samurai slammed his hand on the table, "Then what do you suggest we do. Assuming your correct it doesn't seem like we can do much about it except try to catch them after they strike again!"

Embarrassingly and yet conveniently Shikamaru's stomach rumbled protesting the lack of food since last night's barbecue. "Let's ponder this problem over lunch."

When the two men left the building they were hit by a wave of humidity. It was so thick in the air that it felt like a physical presence. They found a restaurant near the river which didn't do much to help the humidity, but halfway through the meal a wind kicked up which provided a little relief. Even if it meant it was a prelude to a thunderstorm, Shikamaru was grateful.

They ate in silence and afterword walked along the river, both of them lost in their own thoughts. However, as the wind continued to blow Shikamaru eye's drifted towards the Kourigawa River. Yesterday the water had been fairly calm, but now the wind was creating little white caps. The cup of tea he had been sipping at stopped halfway to his lips as a thought occurred to him. The wind was almost blowing parallel to the river or at least as best as it could, given the winding course of the river.

"If this wind keeps up, I know where they're going to hit next."

"What, how?"

"Those warehouses we saw with the big crest on them. If one caught on fire and with a little luck with the right wind like we have now it might spread to the other two. It could grow beyond it even, but I doubt they care about that."

A strong gust of wind kicked up again and the man turned to face him, "Fine, I'll have the patrols increased in the area. With a little luck we should catch them before they set the fire."

Shikamaru grabbed his arm preventing him from leaving, "Wait, this might be our only chance where we know where they will strike, we can't lose this advantage. Before you do anything we should check out the site ourselves and see if we can come up with a better plan." He could see that the officer was conflicted about what to do so, he added, "The more people who know the better chance the governor will know and if he gets involved," he trailed off allowing him to fill in the blanks. The samurai hesitated, but in the end nodded.

* * *

Scoping out the warehouses was more complicated than he first thought it would be. The place was a hive of activity and he didn't want to draw any attention to himself. In the end they had to wait for a while before Shikamaru told his plan to Officer Yui, which was deceptively simple. Yui and a few men he trusted would wait inside the little guard shack at the entrance while they would wait for his signal. He intended to hide on the roof by using the Cloak of Invisibility Technique where he could hopefully watch the approaches.

If their little firebug kept to their pattern, they would be very cautious in their approach. They would wait for a strong wind. They would have to jump the wall before they set the first building on fire, probably from the inside if they could. It's how Shikamaru would do it although he might use the option of crossing the river which simply wasn't an option for them. The only problem was the rain. If they waited too long and the rain destroyed any chance of the other buildings catching fire they probably wouldn't show.

When the workers left for the day they moved in, informing the guard that he was not to do his rounds which was easy enough as the weather proved to be nasty. Then the waiting game began. The first hour passed uneventfully, but the second brought in a brief and intense storm. Fortunately, it only lasted a few minutes and the humidity returned almost instantly drying out every puddle. More importantly though, it soaked his cloak, which ruined it for the technique he was using.

The Cloak of Invisibility Technique was not really useful in the field and was only taught to Academy students because it involved several basic ideas that helped students master more complicated techniques. Once the cloth was wet it became impossible to use which was only one of many of its weaknesses. Fortunately, he was able to switch out with a coat from the guard shack, which didn't cover his entire body, but should suffice for the situation.

Time passed and on the horizon, he could see another storm coming. From experience he knew that the one earlier had been just a small one that preceded the larger storm. He was starting to think that the earlier rain might've scared them off when he saw the barest of movements. Something had slipped from the gap between two buildings and had almost immediately been obscured by the wall. Part of his mind realized, that was how they had been avoiding the checkpoints and patrols.

A few more minutes passed and he was starting to wonder if what he had seen was a cat when a small shadowy figure pushed themselves over the wall. As the intruder hit the ground he sprung into motion pushing off of the roof and diving towards the ground a shuriken in one hand and a length of wire in the other.

Landing on the ground he had to immediately reevaluate the target. Before he had thought they were just small, but this person was tiny. Aiming low he threw the shuriken so that it cut in front of their path closing it to wrap around their body three times before he pulled the wire tight. They were so light that he was easily able to yank them off their feet without much trouble.

Two bottles about the size of beer flew out of their hands as they tried to roll free. With a few large steps he put an end to their escape attempt by putting his foot on their chest. It was then he received his first good look at the suspect. The first thing that he noticed was that there were female, but what overrode every other observation was the sudden awareness that they weren't short, the firebug was a kid.

* * *

Authors note: I had intended to make this the last chapter, but then it just got too long.


	5. Chapter 5

The storm broke just after Yui and his men were finished processing the scene. Shikamaru had been hanging back, allowing them to do their work. This mostly involved asking him for his statement and collecting what little evidence there was.

Before the girl had been let off between two of the officers she had been searched which had produced a disposable lighter. The glass bottles she had been carrying were filled with lamp fuel that had been stuffed with rags. A quick look on the other side of the wall showed how such a small girl could climb over it. She had placed a small light weight crate on the opposite side and it had been enough to provide a boost. After that they had all retreated to the police station as it poured.

Shikamaru had declined their offer to come inside and chose to wait across the street from the station, protected by the elements by a forgotten awning. The normal satisfaction he felt upon the completion of a mission was absent. Officer Yui and his men had shown up seconds after he realized how young the target was and that was bothering him. They too had been surprised, but that had not stopped them from doing their job.

He couldn't help but wonder if the girl had been acting alone or had someone been telling her what to do. From across the street a door opened and a figure darted across joining him under the awning. "Coffee," Yui offered holding a mug out to him.

Shikamaru except it and took a sip before asking, "How's it going," he nodded towards the building.

"She's in shock I think, hasn't said a word. Not that there's much for her to say, you pretty much caught her in the act."

The Jonin had to agree with that though it seemed to upset his stomach. "What happens now?"

The officer shrugged, "That really depends on the governor. There is not much question about her guilt and the only mitigating factor is if someone was telling her to do it and even that won't help much."

"She's a child," the ninja said, "doesn't that mean anything?"

His companion shrugged, "In most crimes it would, but it's not like she was just playing with matches. At some level she knew what she was doing and arson is not a crime given much leeway here."

"The Great Fire," Shikamaru asked not needing the confirming nod from the other man. "What's the best case scenario for her?" The other man shifted uneasily which made the ninja uncomfortable.

"The penalty for arson is death by being burned at the stake. Given her age she'll probably be given something quicker and more private."

"She's a kid."

Yui sighed before turning to him reluctantly, "I've never been far from this village, but I've seen kids her age with those on their forehead," he gestured to the piece of metal that showed he was from Konoha. "Not many mind you, but some and they fight, they die." The older man turned away from him saying, "Come on, we have to report to the governor."

Shikamaru peeled himself off of the wall to follow him. He wanted to object that it was different, but for a brief moment he had considered the possibility that a ninja was behind this last night and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Something wrong," the officer asked.

"I have to check something out. You report to the governor, I'll be there in a little and remember take as much credit as you want." Without waiting for a response he turned back around and headed for the station rain pelting him all the way.

Most of the men who were at the station at this hour had been in on the arrest and it was easy for him to see the prisoner. She had been given a private cell because of her age and as he waited for the cell door to be open he was again struck by how small she looked, couldn't be older than ten.

Stepping into the cell he waited for the door to close behind him and for the guard to walk away. The girl didn't even bother to look up, but simply stayed tucked into a ball with the blanket from the bed wrapped around her. Scratching the back of his head he began talking, "Arson is committed by males ninety percent of the time, but there's a caveat to that statistic. It does not include if the person has a financial motive or a personal motive for setting the fire. So, who was he?"

Shikamaru leaned against the wall trying to appear casual. The girl remained stubbornly silent and he added, "I don't know if you know how much trouble you're in, but anything you can tell me might help you."

For the first time the girl looked up and met his eyes, "I'm going to be executed. It doesn't matter."

"They tell you that?"

She smiled without humor, "I heard people talking about it, after I burned that restaurant."

Well that was pretty much a confession the ninja thought. "If you knew, why, did you continue?" She didn't respond and he leaned over to push her head up while also performing a Genjutsu Cancel on her.

The girl swatted his hand away, "He killed my brother."

Well, it had been a long shot thought Shikamaru. So, apparently she wasn't just being used. That was too bad for her, but that meant she had planned everything. That was impressive even if it was for revenge, "Your brother killed someone."

"He didn't mean to. He was protecting me," she said the last few words as she retreated into herself again.

Shikamaru leaned back as everything came together. The two had broken into those warehouses to steal something and the guard had seen her. He probably tried to capture her and big brother came to the rescue. They split afterwards and he got caught. She probably saw the execution and seeing the governor's crest she saw a target. "Revenge makes people stupid. It's not something we do for the dead, but for ourselves. I am speaking from experience. I've done dumb things for it."

"Shut up."

The Jonin fell silent and a second later he could make out soft sobbing. Closing his eyes he briefly wondered if he was about to step into a larger mess than he could handle. Taking a seat on the corner of the bed he began, "Your brother, he cared about you?"

She let out a sob and after a moment said, "He was all I had."

"I doubt he wanted this for you."

The girl started crying louder and he could barely make out, "I know."

He gave her a few minutes to calm down, "I have an offer. If you become my apprentice I can get you out of here." The girl looked up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and clearly confused. "Setting aside what you did and looking at it from a purely tactical sense, you did pretty well. You had limited resources, but used what you had to maximum affect. You also used the terrain to your advantage and even the weather."

"You're not one of them," she asked confused.

Pointing to his Hitai-ate he said, "I'm a ninja."

Seconds stretched into minutes and finally she spoke, "What would I have to do?"

"Well, first you would have to agree never to come back here and then…"

"I want to get out of here. I know what an apprentice is."

Shikamaru wondered if he was making the right decision, but unfortunately time was not a luxury he had. "You haven't told them anything, right?" She shook her head and he continued, "If someone asked where you're from say, Iwagakure. Got it?"

"That's all," she asked.

"Yeah, now I have to go tell the governor that. With a little luck we'll be able to leave tomorrow although officially you'll be my prisoner." He held up a hand to stop her from asking questions. "You just have to trust me." Shikamaru called for the guard and told him to keep an eye on her.

With the storm it took him a while to reach the governor's residence, but he was quickly shown inside. A guard led him to the same room he had first met the governor in, but this time he could hear the sounds of celebration as he walked down the hallway. When the shoji screen was opened he was greeted by a slightly drunk Governor Odawara.

"There is the hero." The man threw an arm around his shoulder saying, "Come in and have a drink, this is a celebration."

Shikamaru glanced around the room as he stepped inside. Officer Yui was in the room with a drink in his hand looking very uncomfortable. There were several other men he didn't recognize and some geishas which must cost a fortune at this hour. "Governor Odawara, before I join your celebration, I have some news."

Rarely did a room quiet so quickly, as the governor stared at him slightly drunk, "News?"

"As I'm sure you know. There's a standing order that whenever a civilian or ninja is captured in the commission of a crime from an outside hidden village they are to be turned over to Konohagakure."

"What are you talking about," the man slurred.

"Well, since we caught her it's been bothering me. Her behavior is not typical of her age. I interrogated her and found that she was born in Iwagakure."

"She's a ninja," the governor blurted out.

"No no," Shikamaru said shaking his head. "She was kicked out of the village. Probably something her family did, but that doesn't mean that there isn't an intelligence gold mine in there. Clearly we won't be ransoming her back to the village, but she has other uses."

"What are you talking about," the governor exclaimed loudly.

"Well I need to take her back to Konohagakure for interrogation," he quickly added, "we'll give her back of course." Pausing for dramatic effect he finished with a, "That is if she survives. It's unfortunate, but people die in interrogations all the time."

His opinion of the governor had been in steady decline since they had first met and the man managed to sink even lower as he managed to smile and say, "Well, I guess that can't be helped."

* * *

The party as it was, lasted for several hours and Shikamaru was thoroughly uncomfortable throughout. Drinking was not a habit of his and being the only teetotaler in the group was simply not a position he enjoyed. He spent the time amusing himself by writing a report in his head about Governor Odawara. Technically, as a ninja one of his jobs was to monitor any official that the daimyo appointed within the Fire country. Unfortunately, even though the governor had done many questionable things he may have not done anything to justify his removal.

Using public funds to hire a ninja was certainly a misappropriation of funds but, the man could justify it. His alliance with the Yakuza was questionable, but again he could point to the benefits. The fact was that each governor was given a lot of leeway in how they govern their province. About the only thing that would be hard for him to explain was his personal grudge against the Mano family. He would have to concentrate on that.

Yui seemed to be deliberately ignoring him and he wondered if this was his true feelings towards him or did he feel that he stole his thunder. The only time the man said any words to him at all was to say he was leaving to prepare the prisoner for transfer. About an hour later he used the same excuse to duck out of the party.

Upon leaving the house he noticed that the sky was beginning to brighten with only a few stubborn stars still shining. He first stopped at the inn to pick up the meager possessions he had left there and checked out. Upon leaving he again wondered if he was doing the right thing. He didn't know this girl at all really. For all he knew she had severe mental problems that would make her unfit for being a ninja or even worse.

Still, she had shown patience and planning. However, was writing off her revenge acceptable? He was minimizing it because of her age and others who had done much worse had been given a second chance. At the back of his head though was the thought that she would die if he did nothing. Perhaps that was overruling his more logical side.

The police station was mostly empty upon his arrival and to his disappointment Yui was not there. His opinion of the man had changed so many times and he still wasn't sure he had seen his true face and that was vexing. The solitary guard that was on duty made him sign a paper taking full responsibility for her before leading him to her cell.

The girl stood when she was told to and he got his first real good look at her. Her hair was dark brown the same color as her downcast eyes. The clothes she wore were rags and her sandals were of straw. Again he noticed how sunken her cheeks were and for the first time he noticed the dirt. She was not dirty like Kurenai's kid was when she came in from playing outside. Instead this was a layer of filth that only soaking and severe scrubbing would remove. It looked as if a portion of his gambling earnings would go to making her presentable before she entered the village.

She didn't seem to acknowledge that he was anything special and he wondered about that. Given her situation he would think she would show some emotion. Then again, the girl could just be tired. He made a mental note to ask for her name after all he had gone through all this trouble to get her out of here.

Before she was allowed out of the cell her hands were tied together and another length of rope was tied around her middle pinning her elbows to her sides. It seemed like overkill to him. With nothing more said the rope was handed over to Shikamaru. The captor led the prisoner out of the building and onto the empty streets of Kadouzeki. When he was sure no one would be able to overhear he said quietly, "I'll untie you as soon as we're outside of the village."

The girl grunted in acknowledgement. Their departure from the village was unnoticeable as their entrance. When they passed the dock he had disembarked on he paused drawing a kunai. He used it to slice the rope around her elbows and allowed it to fall to the ground. She turned holding up her hands which he simply untied. Discarding the rope he knew there was no turning back at this point. "You handled that well."

"You were either going to come or you weren't," she said rubbing her wrist where the ropes had bitten into them.

The Jonin thought that was awfully fatalistic for someone so young to say, but given her situation it was understandable. "Well, since you're now my apprentice, do you have a name?"

"Takara," she said looking up at him and he could see that she was more nervous than he had first thought.

"Alright Takara, let's put some distance between us and Kadouzeki. We'll stop at the first town to rest up for the day and clean you up." The girl nodded and they walked on for several minutes in silence. "You don't have any questions," Shikamaru asked. The girl stuttered for a second and he reassured, "You can ask anything."

Takara was silent for a minute and then said, "Why? Why didn't you just leave me there?"

Letting out a sigh the Jonin put his hands deep into his pockets as he answered, "Lots of reasons really. From what I've seen I think you'll make a good ninja and I didn't see any point in letting it go to waste. Besides I know what it's like to want revenge." He paused for a second and decided to be honest, "Your age was also a factor. How old are you anyways?"

From the corner of his eye he could see her shrug, "Ten, I think."

That had been pretty much what Shikamaru had assumed even though he didn't spend a great deal of time around children. They continued on in silence and she spoke up again, "What do you have to learn to be a ninja?"

"Lots of things," Shikamaru said glancing over at her to judge her reaction. "You have to learn how to fight, handle weapons, memorize a lot of things and learn to play Shogi."

The girl's eyes brightened at that last part, "Isn't that the game with those black-and-white stones?"

Shikamaru shook his head realizing that this was going to be even more troublesome than he had first thought.

* * *

Author note: Well that's the end. As a mystery I'm not sure how well it did, but I learned a lot and that makes me want to try for another. Unfortunately, that's in the future and now I have to go finish that trilogy of mine.


End file.
